Lage Raho... to apply as separate Oscar entry

A record number of fan mails were received by the makers of Lage Raho... supporting the idea.

indiaUpdated: Sep 29, 2006 19:49 IST

Press Trust of India None

After losing out to

Rang De Basanti

in the race for India's official entry for the Oscar, the makers of Bollywood hit

Lage Raho Munnabhai

have now decided to apply to the Academy as a separate entry in the foreign language category.

"The record number of fan mails that we have received worldwide have supported our belief and inspired us to go ahead with sending the film to the Academy as an independent entry," producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra was quoted as saying in a release in Mumbai on Friday.

The formalities of preparing the applications to seek entry for Oscar are being done by Ken Naz of Eros International in the United States, it said.

The Sanjay Dutt-starrer film, which many believed was a strong contender for India's choice at this year's Oscars, has been a big hit all over owing to its concept, the motif of Mahtma Gandhi, as well as its clean humour.

"Lage Raho Munnabhai has also been invited for a screening at the University of Southern California on October 27," the release added.

Starring Sanjay Dutt, Vidhya Balan and Arshad Warsi, the film is a sequel to 2003 hit Munnabhai MBBS.